Articles and Stories

April 8, 2016

Shoes come in all forms, colors and styles: soft, hard, high heeled, comfortable and painful. From funny designs to traditional styles. You can even create your own styles and choose your preferred colors online. There are shoes for every occasion and there are rules where not to wear shoes and where shoes are a must.

Shoes keep our feet warm and a well-fitted shoe protects our feet, a symbol of safety. For a long time, shoes were associated with wealth, comfort and freedom as only the rich people could afford them.

In the 16th century platform shoes were invented. The higher the platform, the more servants you would need to steady yourself when walking. That showed a symbol of wealth. Some claim that this is how the custom started for women to hold on to a man’s arms for support.

High heeled shoes, especially red or black, have erotic connotations. A ‘femme fatale’ has never been seen wearing sport shoes.

In China the bride wears red shoes along with a red gown. On the wedding day, it ensures happiness for the couple if one of her red shoes is thrown from the roof.

In Hungary, the groom used to drink from the bride’s shoe when giving his toast to the bride; in some families this tradition still lives on.

In the U.S. we often tie shoes to the bumpers of the cars of the newlyweds along with tin cans.

Our first source of information about shoes comes from the Bible. Removing one’s shoe symbolizes respect for a holy place. The Levites were required to take off their shoes when performing a holy service. To this day, you are still required to take off your shoes when entering a mosque and some other holy places.

An Irish rhyme shows the symbolic superstition of the wear and tear of shoes:

Worn at tip of toe, wearer sees woe,
Worn out at the side, wearer meets his bride,
Worn on the ball, best not to buy at all,
Worn at the heal, wearer makes a wise deal.

In Toronto, Ontario, Canada, resides the only footwear museum in North America. Sonja Bata from the Bata family collected shoes and shoe-related artifacts dating back over four thousand years. The museum holds over 13,000 artifacts. It is worth a visit.